To comment I'd need to see a pic centred on stovetop and Anor centred on sink to see if can just splash back those areas without anything in between

Hi everyone, You may remember my posting Design Dilemma back inJune/July 2017? Thanks for all your amazing suggestions and ideas. Many of our grand plans were just beyond our budget. We had considered so many professional recommendations, -removing load bearing walls, -installing larger windows. -Restoration of the copper rangehood ...a total rebuild as copper was on the front surface only with limited space contained within structure for ducting and fans. Time to rethink ! -Remove the tiled floor?...the tiles covered an extensive area with underfloor heating so jack hammering would have been our only option. Another rethink! -Skylights ? Not an option and we already had solartube type skylights installed in a very steep roof. No other choices available. Paint over internal cedar and brick walls? We were left totally confused!! Enter kitchen consultant number 4! A fresh look and approach to solving our dingy outdated kitchen, yet keep with integrity of our cedar lined and brick interior. All renovations now completed. We are really happy with the outcome. Before...

I wouldn't replace the fibre cement panels under the windows with weatherboards, that would just accentuate the different window heights. Instead I would paint those panels a darker colour, say a charcoal grey, with the corner posts and other window trim in the same colour. (You are right, grey is timeless, while any blue would date very quickly.) Then the windows and panels become consistent vertical elements on a lighter facade. You can also pick out the fascias and gutters in that same grey to tie it all together. If you stripped back the brown painted battens to the undercroft and the balcony timber railings, and instead gave them a coat of decking oil for natural timber warmth and integrity, you could make a similar oiled horizontal batten front fence using hardwood decking boards on 50x50 galvanised steel posts. Then the fence and the undercroft battening would match. If the garage door is a tilt-a-door I would be tempted to replace the steel with oiled horizontal battens. Otherwise, paint it the same charcoal grey. Then you have a 3-tone colour scheme that will give the place simple understated elegance: White, grey, and natural oiled hardwood. I am curious why what looks like the front door is not accessible? It looks like there might have been front steps there at one time instead of the current deck. Probably a casualty of a previous renovation.

Unless you are looking at flipping your house in the short term the question of what is in fashion today isn't really that important. What is important is the durability and lifespan of the finish, and how long until you can afford to renovate or resurface your kitchen doors. If you are planning on a renovation that has to last a long time then I would go for a product that has proven to be a durable long-stayer, that is not affected by heat and moisture. The cabinetwork doors are a key visual element of your kitchen so spend the money on making sure that they look good and last the distance. If vinyl wrap doors were less than half the price of a 2-pack finish it may be a different story, but as they are not I would go for the two-pack everytime, and get what you like, and not what fashion dictates. Today's on-trend fashionable kitchen is tomorrow's dated kitchen. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls